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vacation(1)

NAME

       vacation - E-mail auto-responder

SYNOPSIS

       vacation  [-a alias] [-C cffile] [-d] [-f database] [-i] [-I] [-j] [-l]
       [-m message] [-R returnaddr] [-r interval] [-s address] [-t time]  [-U]
       [-x] [-z] login

DESCRIPTION

       Vacation  returns  a message, ~/.vacation.msg by default, to the sender
       informing them that you are currently not reading your mail.  The  mes-
       sage  is  only  sent  to  each  sender  once per reply interval (see -r
       below).	The intended use is in a .forward  file.   For	example,  your
       .forward file might have:

	      \eric, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a allman eric"

       which  would  send  messages to you (assuming your login name was eric)
       and reply to any messages for ``eric'' or ``allman''.

       Available options:

       -a alias
	      Handle messages for alias in the same manner as  those  received
	      for the user's login name.

       -C cfpath
	      Specify  pathname  of  the  sendmail  configuration  file.  This
	      option is ignored if -U is specified.  This option  defaults  to
	      the   standard   sendmail   configuration   file,   located   at
	      /etc/mail/sendmail.cf on most systems.

       -d     Send error/debug messages to stderr instead of  syslog.	Other-
	      wise,  fatal  errors,  such  as  calling vacation with incorrect
	      arguments, or with non-existent logins, are logged in the system
	      log file, using syslog(8).  This should only be used on the com-
	      mand line, not in your .forward file.

       -f filename
	      Use filename as name of the database instead  of	~/.vacation.db
	      or  ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}.  Unless the filename starts with / it
	      is relative to ~.

       -i     Initialize the vacation  database  files.   It  should  be  used
	      before  you modify your .forward file.  This should only be used
	      on the command line, not in your .forward file.

       -I     Same as -i (for backwards compatibility).  This should  only  be
	      used on the command line, not in your .forward file.

       -j     Respond to the message regardless of whether the login is listed
	      as a recipient for the message.  Do not use this flag unless you
	      are  sure  of the consequences.  For example, this will cause to
	      reply to mailing list messages which may result in removing  you
	      from the list.
	      instead  of  ~/.vacation.msg.  Unless the filename starts with /
	      it is relative to ~.

       -R returnaddr
	      Set the reply envelope sender address

       -r interval
	      Set the reply interval to interval days.	 The  default  is  one
	      week.   An interval of ``0'' or ``infinite'' (actually, any non-
	      numeric character) will never send more than one reply.  The  -r
	      option  should  only  be used when the vacation database is ini-
	      tialized (see -i above).

       -s address
	      Use address instead of the incoming message  sender  address  on
	      the From line as the recipient for the vacation message.

       -t time
	      Ignored,	available  only  for compatibility with Sun's vacation
	      program.

       -U     Do not attempt to lookup login in the password file.  The -f and
	      -m options must be used to specify the database and message file
	      since there is no home directory for the	default  settings  for
	      these options.

       -x     Reads  an  exclusion  list  from	stdin  (one address per line).
	      Mails coming from an address in this exclusion list won't get  a
	      reply  by  vacation.  It is possible to exclude complete domains
	      by specifying ``@domain'' as  element  of  the  exclusion  list.
	      This  should only be used on the command line, not in your .for-
	      ward file.

       -z     Set the sender of the vacation message to ``<>'' instead of  the
	      user.   This  probably violates the RFCs since vacation messages
	      are not required	by  a  standards-track	RFC  to  have  a  null
	      reverse-path.

       Vacation  reads	the  first  line  from	the  standard input for a UNIX
       ``From'' line to  determine  the  sender.   Sendmail(8)	includes  this
       ``From'' line automatically.

       No message will be sent unless login (or an alias supplied using the -a
       option) is part of either the ``To:'' or ``Cc:'' headers of  the  mail.
       No   messages   from   ``???-REQUEST'',	``???-RELAY'',	``???-OWNER'',
       ``OWNER-???'', ``Postmaster'', ``UUCP'', ``MAILER'',  or  ``MAILER-DAE-
       MON'' will be replied to (where these strings are case insensitive) nor
       is a notification sent  if  a  ``Precedence:  bulk''  or  ``Precedence:
       junk''  line is included in the mail headers.  The people who have sent
       you messages are maintained as a db(3) or dbm(3) database in  the  file
       .vacation.db or .vacation.{dir,pag} in your home directory.

       Vacation expects a file .vacation.msg, in your home directory, contain-
       ing a message to be sent back to each sender.  It should be  an	entire
       message (including headers).  For example, it might contain:

	      From: eric@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Allman)
	      Subject: I am on vacation
       ~/.vacation.db	 default database file for db(3)

       ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}
			 default database file for dbm(3)

       ~/.vacation.msg	 default message to send

SEE ALSO

       sendmail(8), syslog(8)

HISTORY

       The vacation command appeared in 4.3BSD.

			 $Date: 2002/06/27 23:51:52 $		   VACATION(1)

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